Database Users

New N7 Owner, a few Questions

Hi all
Im a new Owner of a 2nd hand (but perfect) N7(JB v411) and Ive been reading around the forums and the web, Ive used Android phones for awhilw now, but never a tablet, so a few Questions:
- My N7 also suffers from the Screen lifting, which I followed the instructions, tightened all the screws, but it still creaks on the left side, is that ok, or should the screw tighten fix it?
.
- I also get the grey colour banding ONLY in settings, but everything else is black backgrounds and bright icons and menus, with no dead pixels anywhere.. does that mean my device is ok?
- Do I have to root and unlock N7 to get the 720p video. If I do unlock and root., can i still recieve OTA updates from ASUS/Google and any Nexus specific Apps on Market place as well as updates to Apps linked to my google account.
- Because my device was 2nd hand, I wanted to do a Factory Reset > Cache Wipe> Dalvik Cache through recovery, but all I get (Vol Up, V Dwn, PWR) is a big Start icon, android on its back and tiny text in the corner, but no recovery menu, so is it possible to still get to it, or can I d/l a 3rd party recovery mode without rooting or unlocking, so i can get my $25 and my transformers movie. OR is factory Reset in Settings, good enough.
Any advice
Night

As anew Nexus 7 owner, I share these questions as well.
Can anybody reply ?
Specially, I'd like to root my N7 but shall I receive OTA updates then ? If not, how can I receive OTA after rooting ? (any method to un-root ?)
Btw, do we still have no kernel that supports OTG USB for USB flash memory ?
thx.

Rooting it's not going to block ota updates. You'll have to root every time you update.
Factory reset can be done in settings

Just my opinion but don't root your n7. I've seen too many problems with people trying to root and screwing up their devices. I think you have to have root to use the 720p recording but think about it can you really record quality video without being able to see the screen? Currently you have the most up to date device so putting a new ROM or kernel won't put you ahead. Anytime you root and change roms's or kernels there's always drawbacks (ergo force closes). This is just my opinion. As of now no apps or games require anything above the hardware we have so why over clock a CPU or GPU???

kieso,
I've been an Android phone & tablet user for last 2,5 years. It's quite a long time. N7 is my second tablet and 5th Android device.
I've always used my Android devices with root. Because atleast for cifs, ntfs and vpn access I require a custom kernel/ROM.
Rooting does not mean using custom ROM/kernel. So it's not something to be afraid of, as you seem to be.
Now, back to our original questions:
- What is the best way of rooting/unrooting Nexus 7 ?
- Do we have a method to support USB OTG for USB disks ? (what about NTFS ?)

mrmrmrmr said:
kieso,
I've been an Android phone & tablet user for last 2,5 years. It's quite a long time. N7 is my second tablet and 5th Android device.
I've always used my Android devices with root. Because atleast for cifs, ntfs and vpn access I require a custom kernel/ROM.
Rooting does not mean using custom ROM/kernel. So it's not something to be afraid of, as you seem to be.
Now, back to our original questions:
- What is the best way of rooting/unrooting Nexus 7 ?
- Do we have a method to support USB OTG for USB disks ? (what about NTFS ?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is used N7 Toolkit to unlock/root/... my N7, its easy to use so you may check out this thread:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1809195
For USB OTG support you may check out media nexus importer (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.homeysoft.nexususb.importer&hl=de)
A Friend told me CM10 also supports USB OTG, but I haven't tried it.

For 720p video, see this short article:
http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-7-can-shoot-720p-video-its-front-facing-camera-it-useful
Nexus 7 is my first tablet and first android device. I rooted using wugfresh's tool, which worked fine for me.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766475
If you choose to root, do it sooner rather than later. You need to "unlock" before you "root", and unlocking resets some of your settings. Not a big deal, just more of a PITA to redo all your personalizations. I'm glad I rooted and just got it over with. Now I never have to worry about not being able to use an app. If you are interested in customizing and adding lots of apps, sooner or later you're likely to hit a barrier where you need root. Read the many guides on here, you'll find the rooting the nexus 7 is relatively easy compared to most devices, and perhaps not as scary as it might sound at first.

nexus 7
I think biggest bonus to unlock and root nexus 7 is you can buy otg cable google it and then use usb drive for extra storage with app called stick mount free on the playstore. I had 8 gig model i could use my 32 gb flash drive giving me 37 gb of storage as apposed to 5 gig of storage.

NeroBoron said:
For USB OTG support you may check out media nexus importer (...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool app for those who aren't rooted. If you are rooted, also check out StickMount on the google play store.

I've rooted using the Toolkit v2.0.0
it's easy...
now I'm looking for a kernel with CIFS support as the stock kernel does not support CIFS.
any recommendations?

seems like Faux's kernel at following thread supports USB OTG natively without any 3rd party app:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1804374

Nexus 7 2013 Experience from a (somewhat) noob

I'm writing this as a new Nexus 7 2013 owner so that people with a moderate level of tech savvy and are still on the fence about unlocking and flashing their device can check it out from a non expert perspective. I think a lot of times people are afraid after reading tutorials and a bit intimidated by the procedures (and XDA).
I decided to get a nexus device because they are very well supported here on XDA and the general consensus is they are nearly impossible to hard brick barring a hardware issue or the user doing something really really dumb
After unboxing the device I put it on charge while making some final decisions on what direction I wanted to go with the "rebuild". As you will see some of these decisions will have cascading effects...
I settled on cleanrom 2.6 and the elementalx kernel, I also decided I wanted to use CWM (non touch) recovery instead of TWRP because I'm familiar with it and hoped that I would not spend enough time to justify having a gui.( and ... to be honest I am not a fan of TWRPs gui ).
So now that I have made my decisions for better or for worse it is time to proceed. I powered on and configured the device for the first time. Since I wasn't paying attention Google started downloading all my apps from Play. This was not a big deal but folks on a data plan might want to make sure they read the screens and decide not to restore their apps. The option for OTA upgrade was available from jellybean to kitkat, so I went ahead and proceeded with the OTA. In retrospect it was a waste of time because you can download the stock images and reflash them later if you want.
ADB and FASTBOOT were already on my Debian desktop and working properly so I went ahead and unlocked the bootloader, then rebooted and flashed CWM. I them installed supersu from CWM. (I left out the part about using adb to push the files but you get the picture...) So far so good except there was a fatal flaw in my plan. Cleanrom and ElementalX both use aroma installer, which doesn't work on CWM. So as I was doinking around In CWMs advanced options looking for a slim possibility of salvaging the situation I managed to end up in the key test application. The problem here being that since the device doesn't have a back button there was no way to get out of they key test. No worries though I simply connected the USB cable fired up adb and did "adb reboot". A few minutes later I had downloaded and installed TWRP and was ready to pick up where I left off.
Here is a note for folks doing this for the first time, read the instructions and erratta for your new kernel and ROM carefully before you proceed so that you avoid time consuming issues. By reading up a little before I started the project I knew that the ROM and kernel were compatible and work well together. I also knew that I would need to install the ROM first, then the kernel, because I I installed the Kernel first I would have to re-install it after flashing the ROM. No point in doing it twice, right?
SO I fired up TWRP and did a factory reset in preparation for flashing the ROM. So far so good. Cleanrom installed, but AROMA did not ask for my installation options. Fearing something was wrong, I clean flashed (wipe first then flash) the ROM 2 more times with the same result. After the third flash I said wth, as long as the ROM flashed and works I can always change software on my own. So a quick reboot and test drive of the device confirmed the ROM was installed and there appeared to be no glaring issues, so I went back to recovery and flashed the kernel. BTW I did check the md5sums and verified that the files were correct and not corrupted.
I know there is an option to flash more than one update with TWRP but since the install did not occur the way I expected I chose to install the ROM and kernel separately, I'm sure some more experienced members of XDA will agree with this decision and others will say that "it's nexus, go ahead and flash the ROM and kernel at the same time, you can't break it
Anyhow the kernel installation went fine and AROMA prompted me as expected before installing. Note to newbies like me, reading the thread really helps, Knowing exactly how you want to configure your kernel before you install it will save you hassles down the line. Expect the first boot to take a little extra time.
In nutshell, there really is no reason to be afraid of installing a custom kernel on your Nexus device. Sure the possibility is there for you to screw things up, but unless you do something very drastically wrong you wont brick the device, trust me -- If I can do it you can do it. Just think ahead a little and prepare yourself by downloading the files you need and maybe even writing yourself an outline of the steps. I'm sure that I could do this again and again now without referring to notes or tutorials, but having them readily available for guidance and reference was comforting.
I could continue with the saga of getting Debian to recognize the tablet in MTP mode but this post has already gone long and that is a rite of passage...

Thinking of Rooting the wife's old N7, suggestions and guidance needed.

OK, got the wife a new tablet as she could not deal with how slow her N 7 first edition had become, even after numerous FR.
So with that being said, I was going to sell this device, as I really didn't need it, but for $50 it's not worth selling, so I am thinking about rooting it to see if I can speed it up a little and use it as a back up, when ever needed. I heard about Towelroot, is it safe, or is there a better and safer way ?
1) Best way to root
2) Will rooting it make it at least usable, it's so slow now
3) What Roms do you recommend.

you can use the nexus root toolkit, http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1766475 ....to install twrp , wipe the device and then install another ROM like one of those in this forum. It's not really the fact that you will root the device that will make it faster, it's more a matter of installing a new Rom and clearing all the garbage on the tablet. ( cache and davlik cache) . Reinstall a small Rom and not too many apps to let more memory for the device to work properly is the trick . You can flash one of those roms based on 5.1.1 lollipop like "dirty unicorn". There are no bad Roms in this forum, so it's a matter of choice...I'm not sure that your wife need any apps that will need Root. Many Roms have the options of being superuser, which is almost the same. You will have to learn how to get into the developer mode , on the tablet's options, to activate the usb debugging so that you can flash TWRP and use any program that can be used to flash a new rom. The nexus root toolkit has a good guide to help you start with it. Once TWRP is installed, I like to use a OTG cable and a flash drive to install any new Rom from TWRP itself. I find it faster and easier to use than the toolkit. TWRP will remain on the tablet so you can try a few Roms and choose the one you like. After installing a ROM , you need to install a Gapp to access the google store. Choose a small size gapps ( 80 megs or so) because the nexus 7 doesn't have the memory to flash a large gapp. Good luck and happy flashing.

Thanks I will definitely check it out, cheers

Simple way?

Hi everyone,
So couple of year ago I worked at a start-up company that had an Android project. So I'm not new to flashing images (ROM, Recovery, radio...), and I know most basic tools like ADB (and I'm technical person in my daily life). That being said - I remember the pain when the Radio image doesn't fit the firmware, and you have to play around with stuff to make reception work again. or the Recovery image won't fit the ROM etc etc. I'm not sure if any of this probably still happen TODAY, but back then when I got my LG-G2 - I decided not to touch it. I don't need anything besides the basic options (making calls, taking pictures).
I'm still using Stock with 4.4.2 - and the phone is getting lagy each passing day to the point it's time to root it and install a custom rom.
As I mentioned above, I want it to be quick and painless. Sadly, I don't have the time to do insane amount of research right now, mainly because I have a 3 weeks old born at home - and I prefer to use my free time hanging with it that Q&N issues with my phone
So here's what I need your help with:
1. A recommendation for a tool to save all phone settings. Mostly - App settings, and OS settings (even though I probably not going to go for Stock again, but it doesn't hurt to back it up).
2. An instruction how to flash D802 (there' so many options this days...). My Kernel version is 3.4.0.
3. Recommended ROM to use. Here's what I need from a ROM.
a. I probably want to upgrade to more safe rooted Android version (I can't for example handle permissions on 4.4.2).
b. With that, I don't want to install the latest Android only to figure it's running slowly on LG G2, I want the interface to be snappy (the Stock was snappy for a while).
c. I prefer Minimal ROM if possible with Google Apps installed. If I'll need something, I can install it myself.
d. One of the reason I didn't root up until now, was because people mentioned camera quality is meh with non stock roms. If possible, I will like to have a decent Camera quality.
e. I use my phone as a music player often. So good sound quality is important to me (and maybe even build in Parametrized EQ?).
Thank you!

Reading around the forum would have taken just about the same amount of time than writing your post. A post, mind you, that will get you the same as what you can already find with ease.
You managed to write with your kid around. Last time I checked, browsing takes less effort.
Rant out.

Instead of a rant, here's an actual help for people who might find it useful in the future and lack the time to do some proper research (as it took more than the 5 minutes it took me to write the original post). Please note that I won't take any responsibility for possible damages you may do to your system. Please use at your own risk. Also, note that I only tried it on LG G2 802 with Stock Kit Kat (4.2.2) and other version/OS version might not work.
I wasn't clear to me if 'One Click Root' work with Kit Kat bootloader, so I used 'ioroot'. When your done rooting your phone, you will need to flash a TWRP recovery. The easiest way to do it is by using AutoRec. However, the TWRP recovery installed with AutoRec doesn't have Thermal protection, and is dangerous to use according to the forums. So the next thing will be flashing a new TWRP version from the recovery. Blastgater have tweaked TWRP Recovery for LG devices. You can download the latest version here. It's basically a zip file you flash from within your old TWRP.
Regarding ROM, after doing some research - it looks like Lineage will be the best 'all-around' rom to use. Liveage 15/16 were too slow for my liking, so I went with 14.1 (Android 7.1) which was enough for me and snappy to use. However, the tricky part if your plan on using Lineage, is to flash a bootstack as the one coming with Stock won't work. It's just another zip to flash directly from the recovery and can be found here.
So this is just the high-level process, and I highly suggest checking the specific on the links I sent. It also helps if you know how to handle 'adb' and know the basic stuff like what bootloader and recovery are
Good luck.

Hi all. I'm new to rooting can any one please help and point me to the right tutorial to root a samsung s7

Hi All
Looking for a best tutorial to follow and the right one for my phone really don't want to brick it, obviously :/. as there seems to be a few versions for the S7
I have the following: S7 android 8.0.0 SM-G930F not sure what else I need to know! I'm in the UK so I assume UK phones come with Exynos cpu's
and as far as I am aware android 8 is Oreo! but when they say Stock Rom I assume they mean the same as what came with the phone the original rom?
if so is there an alternative stable rom without the crap included or is it just as simple to delete every thing you don't want now it's rooted! and does that mean if I reset the phone its back to normal with all the crap included! or is there a way to keep it rooted even after reset! and should anything be disabled I.e prepare the phone before attempting to root like any kind of auto encryption that needs disabling and just one more question
if at anytime the rooting process hangs for a ridiculous amount of time when should I throw in the towel! and what are the chances of retrieving the phone back to original state! or does a dirty shutdown brick it?.
I started the root process but failed at first hurdle!, followed instructions install Odin3_v3.13.1 but when I connected the phone nothing showed up in Odin? though I will have another go just to confirm I followed it correctly, I'll update this when it's done.
this was the tutorial I followed:
Easy 4 Newbie [Root Guide]SM-G930F, G935F, G930FD, G935FD (Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge)
Warning ! Please note that the official TWRP for Nougat on Galaxy S7/ S7 Edge is not available yet but based on my experience the Marshmallow version is working on Nougat. By installing a custom recovery on your S7 and S7 Edge and rooting it...
forum.xda-developers.com
I know alot of questions I would really appreciate any help and clarification on the above.
many thanks
Regards
Daz

Look pal, rooting the phone is just like being an adult, it means you will get rid of Samsung's "Child Care".
Yes, UK models use Exynos chip, but you have to be sure, look at your baseband version, if it is G930FXXX, then you are good.
ROMs are in two shapes:
Stock-based: These are just like the one you are using, or other Samsung phones does, like Samsung Experience, One UI, TouchWiz. Maybe MIUI and FlymeOS will come into account, as there are ROMs based on them + Samsung's.
AOSP: These are pure Android ROMs, with few modifications to the core, but keeping the UI as close to the source as possible, Google & OnePlus phones come with a near-to-pure operating systems.
Changing a ROM is not risky, as long as you follow the instructions, without any unaccounted improvising.
Before you install a ROM, read the working and bug list, to make sure you are installing something you have an idea of.
You need to install TWRP recovery (or any other one you like), and format data, in order to be able to travel among ROMs and/or root your device.
Formatting is only required because the phone is forcibly encrypted, and TWRP can not decrypt it, at least not for this device.
Rooting is simply about flashing a 5-MB file, Magisk, then rebooting to system, no need to wipe data.
No need to do any additional steps, unless you are trying to hide root from some apps and/or pass SafetyNet.

Mohamedkam000 said:
Look pal, rooting the phone is just like being an adult, it means you will get rid of Samsung's "Child Care".
Yes, UK models use Exynos chip, but you have to be sure, look at your baseband version, if it is G930FXXX, then you are good.
ROMs are in two shapes:
Stock-based: These are just like the one you are using, or other Samsung phones does, like Samsung Experience, One UI, TouchWiz. Maybe MIUI and FlymeOS will come into account, as there are ROMs based on them + Samsung's.
AOSP: These are pure Android ROMs, with few modifications to the core, but keeping the UI as close to the source as possible, Google & OnePlus phones come with a near-to-pure operating systems.
Changing a ROM is not risky, as long as you follow the instructions, without any unaccounted improvising.
Before you install a ROM, read the working and bug list, to make sure you are installing something you have an idea of.
You need to install TWRP recovery (or any other one you like), and format data, in order to be able to travel among ROMs and/or root your device.
Formatting is only required because the phone is forcibly encrypted, and TWRP can not decrypt it, at least not for this device.
Rooting is simply about flashing a 5-MB file, Magisk, then rebooting to system, no need to wipe data.
No need to do any additional steps, unless you are trying to hide root from some apps and/or pass SafetyNet.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mohamedkam000
Thanks for replying. I'm not confused about why I want to root the phone. I'm just trying to understand the inner workings and the risks as I'm not as clued up with phone OS's as I am windows. I don't care about warrantees or hiding the the fact it's rooted I just want a clean rooted phone free of big brother well inside at least I know you will never completely keep them out but making it hard is a start lol.
Thank you very much for all the above especially on clarifying about the roms and the reason TWRP formats due to encryption nice one
My Baseband version slightly different though it's G930FXXU8ETI3 not sure if having a U instead of a third X makes any difference!
and I posted wrong tutorial I'm actually following this one below again not sure if that matters.
Guide How to root Android 8.0 Oreo Stock ROM on Galaxy S7 ( 100% Working )
Hi . i see too many peoples have problem on rooting Android 8.0 Oreo Stock Rom on Galaxy S7 ( edge ) and they cant get passed from the verification field error ! ok its bcuz they do only 1 step wrong , here i just wanna tell you all the steps 1...
forum.xda-developers.com
Again many thanks for clarifying that lot up very informative and much appreciated.
Kind regards
Daz

CitizenSmith said:
Hi Mohamedkam000
Thanks for replying. I'm not confused about why I want to root the phone. I'm just trying to understand the inner workings and the risks as I'm not as clued up with phone OS's as I am windows. I don't care about warrantees or hiding the the fact it's rooted I just want a clean rooted phone free of big brother well inside at least I know you will never completely keep them out but making it hard is a start lol.
Thank you very much for all the above especially on clarifying about the roms and the reason TWRP formats due to encryption nice one
My Baseband version slightly different though it's G930FXXU8ETI3 not sure if having a U instead of a third X makes any difference!
and I posted wrong tutorial I'm actually following this one below again not sure if that matters.
Guide How to root Android 8.0 Oreo Stock ROM on Galaxy S7 ( 100% Working )
Hi . i see too many peoples have problem on rooting Android 8.0 Oreo Stock Rom on Galaxy S7 ( edge ) and they cant get passed from the verification field error ! ok its bcuz they do only 1 step wrong , here i just wanna tell you all the steps 1...
forum.xda-developers.com
Again many thanks for clarifying that lot up very informative and much appreciated.
Kind regards
Daz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't matter which version of Android you are using, root is the same.
However, on stock ROMs, it might sometimes get rough, as you may end up with Wi-Fi not working (happened to me Q1 2020).
If you really want to learn how Android OS works, then rooting the stock ROM is not your way.
Try AOSP ROMs, preferably start with Oreo ones, you can root in 3 common way, LineageOS SU Add-on, Magisk, Super SU.
But before you tickle your phone, you have to make a backup of your current device, of every partition, EFS is the most important partition, so make sure it is safe.
Baseband version doesn't matter a lot, unless you're paranoid with updates, it is sorted alphabetically, each string on its own.
The phone is more similar to a linux machine than to a Windows PC.
Edit: To root stock ROM, you have to flash dm verity, so you don't end up encrypted again.

Mohamedkam000 said:
It doesn't matter which version of Android you are using, root is the same.
However, on stock ROMs, it might sometimes get rough, as you may end up with Wi-Fi not working (happened to me Q1 2020).
If you really want to learn how Android OS works, then rooting the stock ROM is not your way.
Try AOSP ROMs, preferably start with Oreo ones, you can root in 3 common way, LineageOS SU Add-on, Magisk, Super SU.
But before you tickle your phone, you have to make a backup of your current device, of every partition, EFS is the most important partition, so make sure it is safe.
Baseband version doesn't matter a lot, unless you're paranoid with updates, it is sorted alphabetically, each string on its own.
The phone is more similar to a linux machine than to a Windows PC.
Edit: To root stock ROM, you have to flash dm verity, so you don't end up encrypted again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again for clearing quite a few things up I thought rooting stock rom would have been far safer way forward wow how wrong was I! but I guess I am just trying to find any kind simile to windows in any way but as you pointed out again it's more like Linux which again I've only played around with ubuntu and mint for a short period so again not to up on Linux lol.
It's funny I was just reading up on AOSP ROMs then got your message. I see they have a stable but not complete! Android 10 not that I would consider it need as I need a stable OS so Oreo is fine for me.
I have backed up phone using Smart Switch on the PC I assume that copy's every thing that's needed, I reset the phone in anticipation all be it prematurely but at least it restored all my data so if anything that was a good test of the back up at least .
I will have look at some AOSP ROMs and see what's involved there, I'll check out their tutorial hopefully it will include the whole process including root.
I gather by your comment using a AOSP ROM you don't need to use dm-verity or will that still be needed!.

The first thing to do is to flash (install) TWRP, it's a custom recovery (think of it as a mini OS that can boot before Android), that will be the base for any of your future tinkering.
Here is the thread, read the FP carefully: [Recovery][Exynos] Official TWRP for Galaxy S7 (herolte)
Once TWRP installed, you can do many things:
Install addons like Magisk. Magisk is the tool you use to obtain root. Forget SuperSU, its outdated, and don't works in modern versions of Android.
Install a custom ROM (this subforum is the perfect place to find them).
Backup & restore an image of your current ROM (very useful).

mooms said:
The first thing to do is to flash (install) TWRP, it's a custom recovery (think of it as a mini OS that can boot before Android), that will be the base for any of your future tinkering.
Here is the thread, read the FP carefully: [Recovery][Exynos] Official TWRP for Galaxy S7 (herolte)
Once TWRP installed, you can do many things:
Install addons like Magisk. Magisk is the tool you use to obtain root. Forget SuperSU, its outdated, and don't works in modern versions of Android.
Install a custom ROM (this subforum is the perfect place to find them).
Backup & restore an image of your current ROM (very useful).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks Mooms for the input
I tried to follow your links tutorial which he gives three options only one is any good to me and that was installing twrp using Odin but I'm having issues at every turn!. I can't even get Odin to recognise my phone it just wont pick it up I have Samsung driver installed and I have reinstalled many times I found an article claim to have a workaround but that was BS just selling some other app I even change the driver as described on there page,
7 Tips to Fix Odin Not Detecting Phone
Are you using Odin flash tool to flash your Samsung phone but it is not recognized by Odin? Here are 7 tips to fix Odin not detecting phone.
www.imyfone.com
.
but that did nothing so reinstall normal driver again.
feels like it's just not meant to be :/
Thanks again.

CitizenSmith said:
Thanks again for clearing quite a few things up I thought rooting stock rom would have been far safer way forward wow how wrong was I! but I guess I am just trying to find any kind simile to windows in any way but as you pointed out again it's more like Linux which again I've only played around with ubuntu and mint for a short period so again not to up on Linux lol.
It's funny I was just reading up on AOSP ROMs then got your message. I see they have a stable but not complete! Android 10 not that I would consider it need as I need a stable OS so Oreo is fine for me.
I have backed up phone using Smart Switch on the PC I assume that copy's every thing that's needed, I reset the phone in anticipation all be it prematurely but at least it restored all my data so if anything that was a good test of the back up at least .
I will have look at some AOSP ROMs and see what's involved there, I'll check out their tutorial hopefully it will include the whole process including root.
I gather by your comment using a AOSP ROM you don't need to use dm-verity or will that still be needed!.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AOSP ROMs are pure, you can't say they are not complete. They are complete, and what OEMs do, like Samsung and Xiaomi is just a customization that you can do, too.
It is preferred that when you take a backup, take it with TWRP, just to ensure you backed up phone's partitions, along with "EFS".
The root procedure on Android 6+ is done by patching the Kernel (boot.img), so unless you take backup of that, you cannot keep root.
There are stable custom ROMs, custom ROMs are meant for custom adjustments, however the stability depends on your phone, and the way you use it, you can compare AOSP vs. Stock and see the difference.
AOSP ROMs doesn't need dm verity, well, at least not if the developer did not mention the encryption part.

Mohamedkam000 said:
AOSP ROMs are pure, you can't say they are not complete. They are complete, and what OEMs do, like Samsung and Xiaomi is just a customization that you can do, too.
It is preferred that when you take a backup, take it with TWRP, just to ensure you backed up phone's partitions, along with "EFS".
The root procedure on Android 6+ is done by patching the Kernel (boot.img), so unless you take backup of that, you cannot keep root.
There are stable custom ROMs, custom ROMs are meant for custom adjustments, however the stability depends on your phone, and the way you use it, you can compare AOSP vs. Stock and see the difference.
AOSP ROMs doesn't need dm verity, well, at least not if the developer did not mention the encryption part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some of the roms I have looked at mention external touch buttons at bottom of phone do not work or something else in the phone I'm just reading their comments.
I understand about the stock & custom rom's now that's not my problem at least not at the moment as I am miles away from choosing a rom! as I can't even get out the starting gate!. I can not get TWRP on my phone as the only way I can see to get it on a unrooted! phone is to use Odin but as I said Odin doesn't work at least not for me it does not see my phone. I would love to take a back up using twrp but that won't happen until I find a way to get TWRP on a unrooted phone. what crazy paradox is this!. you can't root phone without twrp installed and twrp won't install on a unrooted phone!. that makes perfect sense.

CitizenSmith said:
Some of the roms I have looked at mention external touch buttons at bottom of phone do not work or something else in the phone I'm just reading their comments.
I understand about the stock & custom rom's now that's not my problem at least not at the moment as I am miles away from choosing a rom! as I can't even get out the starting gate!. I can not get TWRP on my phone as the only way I can see to get it on a unrooted! phone is to use Odin but as I said Odin doesn't work at least not for me it does not see my phone. I would love to take a back up using twrp but that won't happen until I find a way to get TWRP on a unrooted phone. what crazy paradox is this!. you can't root phone without twrp installed and twrp won't install on a unrooted phone!. that makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does your phone allow MTP communication? I mean can you transfer files when the phone is turned on?
Does the phone show any notification about a usb connection?
If not, then you have probably a bad USB cable, at least, or you have a hardware issue that can go as deep as a burned charging port.
If yes, then either your USB cable is not as fast as the phone requires, or you haven't installed the Samsung USB Drivers on your PC.
Unfortunately, you cannot root your device without PC, at least not since Lollipop.

CitizenSmith said:
Thanks Mooms for the input
I tried to follow your links tutorial which he gives three options only one is any good to me and that was installing twrp using Odin but I'm having issues at every turn!. I can't even get Odin to recognise my phone it just wont pick it up I have Samsung driver installed and I have reinstalled many times I found an article claim to have a workaround but that was BS just selling some other app I even change the driver as described on there page,
7 Tips to Fix Odin Not Detecting Phone
Are you using Odin flash tool to flash your Samsung phone but it is not recognized by Odin? Here are 7 tips to fix Odin not detecting phone.
www.imyfone.com
.
but that did nothing so reinstall normal driver again.
feels like it's just not meant to be :/
Thanks again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which version of Odin are you using ?
Use this version (latest): Odin v3.14.4
Which version of the Samsung USB drivers are you using ?
Use this version (latest): https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html

Mohamedkam000 said:
Does your phone allow MTP communication? I mean can you transfer files when the phone is turned on?
Does the phone show any notification about a usb connection?
If not, then you have probably a bad USB cable, at least, or you have a hardware issue that can go as deep as a burned charging port.
If yes, then either your USB cable is not as fast as the phone requires, or you haven't installed the Samsung USB Drivers on your PC.
Unfortunately, you cannot root your device without PC, at least not since Lollipop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
Yes I can transfer files.
Yes phone asks to allow or block file transfer and it ohone shows up in Devices and Drives list and I can access the phone directory and shows up as Samsung s7 icon.
I will try another USB lead but the one I'm using is new and wasn't cheap but still a possibility I have had leads that weren't suitable for other things I was trying so it is worth a try.
Thanks

mooms said:
Which version of Odin are you using ?
Use this version (latest): Odin v3.14.4
Which version of the Samsung USB drivers are you using ?
Use this version (latest): https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When I downloaded Odin this was latest one Odin3_v3.13.1 though I have doubts that one version update will fix this issue as I did not see many if any people having my issue so they all used Odin and I believe theirs are fine even with older versions! but as I said Mohamedkam it's worth a try I will down load that version and give it a try.
As for the Samsung usb driver I believe that is where I got mine
SAMSUNG_USB_Driver_for_Mobile_Phones no version visible under properties on file version 1.7.23.0.
The USB connection seems to be fine I have uninstalled then re-download and reinstalled a couple of times.
I can transfer files no problem it shows up as Galaxy S7 Icon with card and phone drive inside.
I'll update shortly thank you.
Update:
I just went to try new Odin and whilst checking my phone have seen I have Offical TWRP app installed? I have no clue as to how that's got in there! as Odin did not show phone so I could select nothing!.
In the phone I open app and if i select backup existing recovery it opens and Select Folder tab and under that Selected Folder: /sdcard Filename: Recovery .img and at the bottom of screen Root access required.
I just hope it's installed correctly!. it is showing in playstore my apps as well just to confirm. if this is now installed what should I do next Now not sure what tutorial to start following.
I am just going to try the new odin and see if it picks up the phone back soon.

OK Seem that it now shows up in the new Odin. at least I think it has! in the log window I see this: <ID:0/004> Added!!
I didn't see that before.
Would be grateful if you could tell me how to proceed from here!

Correct, you don't need he latst version of Odin or the Samsung drivers, bit it was just to be sure.
You need to be in download mode, but before, you must have checked OEM unlock & USB debug in developer options (mandatory).
I've written a tutorial with images here (in French):
Samsung Galaxy S7 (edge) - Mangez un Oreo! [Topic Unique] - Page : 487 - Téléphone Android - Technologies Mobiles - FORUM HardWare.fr

mooms said:
Correct, you don't need he latst version of Odin or the Samsung drivers, bit it was just to be sure.
You need to be in download mode, but before, you must have checked OEM unlock & USB debug in developer options (mandatory).
I've written a tutorial with images here (in French):
Samsung Galaxy S7 (edge) - Mangez un Oreo! [Topic Unique] - Page : 487 - Téléphone Android - Technologies Mobiles - FORUM HardWare.fr
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I said the older version did not show any kind of data what's so ever and the phone was in download mode. phone displayed "Downloading" which I believe it says that even if it's not doing anything! so a tutorial explained. I think it must have installed the Official TWRP app even though phone did not show up in Odin everything was blank however when I installed the new version of Odin like you suggested it then showed up as <ID:0/004> Added!!. so your suggestion work thanks for that and I did enable OEM unlock & USB debug I did long time ago.
I would check out your tutorial but unfortunately I don't speak French and translating instructions is too risky but thank you for the offer but I'll carry on look around still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.

CitizenSmith said:
As I said the older version did not show any kind of data what's so ever and the phone was in download mode. phone displayed "Downloading" which I believe it says that even if it's not doing anything! so a tutorial explained. I think it must have installed the Official TWRP app even though phone did not show up in Odin everything was blank however when I installed the new version of Odin like you suggested it then showed up as <ID:0/004> Added!!. so your suggestion work thanks for that and I did enable OEM unlock & USB debug I did long time ago.
I would check out your tutorial but unfortunately I don't speak French and translating instructions is too risky but thank you for the offer but I'll carry on look around still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Take a note that, when you flash TWRP, you have to boot immediately to the recovery, so as to enforce its existence, cause I remember they phone has an original recovery backed up somewhere, and gets triggered when you reboot directly to system instead of the unofficial binary.
I advise you to watch guides on YouTube, it's more .. understandable.

CitizenSmith said:
still undecided on what custom rom to go for as I said some comments point out small issues and the developers also state certain things are not working so that is making it hard to consider one if you know what I mean.
Again Thank you for your input very much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recommend to go with ALEXNDR ROM: zero bugs, everything works perfectly (it's based on stock ROM).
[ROM][G930F/FD][ALEXNDR] * U8EUE1 * DevBase v7.4 * Encryption support [Jul-10]
Important notes for Developers / Chefs !!! This ROM is NOT based on any other custom ROM. My work contains many original ideas and innovations that I introduced as the first in the ROM development (see "Changelist" in post #2). Of course, it...
forum.xda-developers.com

Mohamedkam000 said:
Take a note that, when you flash TWRP, you have to boot immediately to the recovery, so as to enforce its existence, cause I remember they phone has an original recovery backed up somewhere, and gets triggered when you reboot directly to system instead of the unofficial binary.
I advise you to watch guides on YouTube, it's more .. understandable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yer I read that but I've ended up with TWRP installed and did not do that process because I was unaware it installed until it showed up.
As I said I'll just keep looking for now I know I'll find one that works for me from start to finish.
and I've been checking youtube but wouldn't want to use any links their providing but it may help familurise myself with the whole process if i watch enough of them.
Thanks again for your help.

mooms said:
I recommend to go with ALEXNDR ROM: zero bugs, everything works perfectly (it's based on stock ROM).
[ROM][G930F/FD][ALEXNDR] * U8EUE1 * DevBase v7.4 * Encryption support [Jul-10]
Important notes for Developers / Chefs !!! This ROM is NOT based on any other custom ROM. My work contains many original ideas and innovations that I introduced as the first in the ROM development (see "Changelist" in post #2). Of course, it...
forum.xda-developers.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Mooms
I will check that out many thanks. I wonder if you could help me here. I am in the middle of the rooting process but have hit a snag. again!
I have now installed TWRP successfully then no-verity-opt-encrypt-3.1 all went fine and I'm at point of flashing Magisk but have an issue when I swipe to flash is gives me a error in red saying "invalid zip file format !"
I downloaded it from github here.
GitHub - topjohnwu/Magisk: The Magic Mask for Android
The Magic Mask for Android. Contribute to topjohnwu/Magisk development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
I click on "code" tab and then "download zip" and I placed that in a download folder on my sd card when I select it I get the above error any ideas as to why I am getting this am I downloaded the correct file?
thanks for any assistance you could give.